Scientists Discover Creature No One Thought Could Live in the Great Salt Lake
Indian Defence Review••science
Key Points:
- Researchers have identified a new microscopic nematode species, Diplolaimelloides woaabi, in the Great Salt Lake, Utah, expanding the known animal taxa in this extreme saline environment beyond brine shrimp and brine flies.
- The discovery, confirmed after three years of study, suggests the nematode may play a significant ecological role within the lake’s microbialite mats and could serve as a bioindicator for environmental changes.
- Genetic analysis revealed two distinct populations of the nematode, leading to two hypotheses about its origin: it either has ancient roots in the lake dating back millions of years or was introduced recently via migratory birds.
- The finding challenges previous assumptions about the lake’s ecosystem complexity and highlights the potential impact of climate
